Exhibits

New exhibition for 2013: Flights of Fancy

From 2nd July 2013, visitors to the Natural History Museum can enjoy a stunning exhibition of children’s artwork and stories in the beautifully refurbished displays. Children in Years 3 & 4 at Beacon View Primary Academy in Paulsgrove and Craneswater Junior School in Southsea were inspired by specimens of birds and butterflies from Portsmouth Museums’ School Loans Collection.  Three classes from Beacon View and one class from Craneswater spent a day each working with visual artist Eileen White.  They looked carefully at the birds and butterflies and interpreted them in drawings, paintings, collages and sculptures.  Each class also spent an hour and a half with author Denyse King.  They explored the idea of ‘flight’ and wrote short stories to take the bird specimens on imaginary journeys.

The children’s artwork and stories plus a selection of bird specimens are on show on the ground floor of Cumberland House in displays designed by Eileen White.

For further information and images of the art workshops visit the April 16th, 18th, 19th and 24th 2013 pages of Eileen White’s blog: click here. 

Butterfly House

Between May and September you can walk through the butterfly house filled with living insects and plants. The temperature is kept at a high level so that we can support exotic butterflies as well as some beautiful foreign plants. In winter months it is still possible to search for caterpillars under the palm leaves but the butterflies themselves do not fly in the colder part of the year.

Museum Fact Sheets

Click here to read the bat fact sheet
Click here to read the blue-tit fact sheet
Click here to read the sea mouse fact sheet
Click here to read the bee-eater fact sheet

All pictures are copyright of Portsmouth Museums and Record Service